EarShot Aguascalientes Symphony - Composer Spotlight: Juan José Bárcenas

Composer and multimedia-sound artist Juan José Bárcenas (he/him) was born in Santiago de Querétaro, Mexico. He started studying composition n 1990 with Dr. Felipe De las Casas, Dr. Mauricio Beltrán Miranda, and Dr. Ignacio Baca-Lobera. 

His work is characterized by extreme fluctuation in sound. He currently lives in the city of Santiago de Querétaro and works as an electronic performer, composer, sound engineer and multimedia artist. Since 2006, he has taught composition, harmony, counterpoint and audition training at CEDART “Ignacio Mariano de las Casas” and CUCM-UAQ (University Center for Musical Creation), which he founded in 2018 together with the artist collective INTERCICLOS. His music has been released internationally on multiple labels, including Luna Negra Records and NEOS-Germany.

Juan's piece La muerte Camina (Los murmullos) was selected for the Aguascalientes Symphony Orchestra EarShot New Music Readings, which takes place August 12-14, 2019 in Aguascalientes, Mexico. Juan spoke to us about the readings and his piece.

Composer Juan José Bárcenas

Translated from Spanish to English by Stephanie Polonio

American Composers Orchestra: What was your reaction to finding out your piece had been selected for the Aguascalientes EarShot New Music Readings?

Juan José Bárcenas: Para mi, fue una noticia maravillosa, esta es una obra creada como parte del programa nacional del Sistema Nacional de Creadores Artísticos de México en su emisión 2019-2021. Esta era una obra sin estrenar y que aún no tenía destino para su estreno, y la experiencia de encontrarlo en este programa tan valioso con una gran orquesta y un gran director, me fue significante, y apoya mi trayectoria y curriculum.

Translation: For me, it was wonderful news, this is a work created as part of the national program of the National System of Artistic Creators of Mexico in its 2019-2021 broadcast. This was an unreleased work and I still had no destination for its premiere, and the experience of finding it in this valuable program with a great orchestra and a great conductor, was significant to me, and supports my career and curriculum.

ACO: What are you doing to prepare for the readings? Are there any changes you have made to your piece since you found out it would be performed by the Aguascalientes Symphony Orchestra?

JJB: Actualmente ha sido un proceso muy complejo, pues justamente en esta semanas, me encuentro gestionando un festival Internacional de Música Nueva  en mi ciudad, ”INTERCICLOS 2019”, y los tiempos se me han cerrado y complicado en ambas cosas, estoy muy feliz de realizar ambas, pero el tiempo ha sido apremiante. Asimismo, han sido necesarios varios cambios, en cuanto a las plantillas visuales, con el propósito de mejorar la lectura y practica de la obra, los cambios han sido en disposición de espacios visuales.

Translation: Currently it has been a very complex process, because in this week, I am managing an International New Music festival in my city, “INTERCICLOS 2019”, and the times have closed and complicated in both, I am very happy to perform both, but time has been pressing. Also, several changes have been necessary, in terms of visual templates, in order to improve the reading and practice of the work, the changes have been available to visual spaces.

ACO: What are you looking forward to about the workshops and readings? What do you hope to learn from the experience?

JJB: Los intercambios con diferentes maneras de pensar y concebir la música, así como diferentes actos y manifestaciones estéticas, siempre otorgan espacios muy interesantes de reflexión, aprendizaje y adiestramiento sobre la manera de pensar y resolver las ideas musicales. Así como momento muy espléndidos de retroalimentación con compañeros artistas.

Translation: Exchanges with different ways of thinking and conceiving music, as well as different acts and aesthetic manifestations, always providing very interesting spaces for reflection, learning and training on the way of thinking and solving musical ideas. As well as very splendid moment of feedback with fellow artists.

ACO: You have experience writing electroacoustic music and as an "electronic performer." In your opinion, what are the similarities between writing electronic music and writing for orchestra?

JJB: Si tengo mucha experiencia en el campo de la música electroacústica, en mi experiencia, ha sido fundamental en mi concepción del fenómeno “tímbrico”, una de las características provechosas de la “electroacústica” es la libertad de crear “fluctuaciones de modo diametral” (muy veloz), en el pensamiento multi-parametrico (timbre, color, ritmo, masa, densidad), a velocidades brutalmente rápidas. Utilizo procesos parecidos en mi acercamiento a la músca exclusivamente acústica, es un gran reto, trabajar en múltiples velocidades, traduciendo los retos electrónicos a los procesos acústicos.

Translation: If I have a lot of experience in the field of electroacoustic music, in my experience, it has been fundamental in my conception of the “timbral” phenomenon, one of the helpful characteristics of “electroacoustic” is the freedom to create “diametral fluctuations” (very fast), in multi-parametric thinking (timbre, color, rhythm, mass, density), at brutally fast speeds. I use similar processes in my approach to exclusively acoustic music, it is a great challenge, to work in multiple speeds, translating electronic challenges to acoustic processes.

ACO: Can you talk about what it means, to you, to be a Mexican composer?

JJB: México es un país lleno de una belleza artística interminable, pintores, escritores, cineastas, bailarines y músicos llenos de talento, que pueden competir en cuanto a calidad, constancia y perfección  a cualquier nivel y contra cualquier país. Creo que es un reto grande, constante y del día a día, estar en constante perfeccionamiento y desarrollo, para no desestimar  o apartarme, de la fuerza y calidad de los artistas en mi país. Soy muy orgulloso de mi país y de los artistas que en este hay; mi aspiración es la búsqueda para estar al nivel de ellos.

Translation: Mexico is a country full of endless artistic beauty, painters, writers, filmmakers, dancers and musicians full of talent, who can compete in terms of quality, perseverance and perfection at any level and against any country. I think it is a big, constant and day-to-day challenge, to be constantly improving and developing, so as not to dismiss or depart from the strength and quality of artists in my country. I am very proud of my country and the artists there are; My aspiration is to continue striving to be at their level.

Juan's piece La muerte Camina (Los murmullos) will be workshopped and performed at the Aguascalientes Symphony Orchestra EarShot New Music Readings, which takes place August 12-14, 2019 in Aguascalientes, Mexico.

Follow Juan José Bárcenas on Soundcloud

EarShot Aguascalientes Symphony - Composer Spotlight: Mario Duarte

Dr. Mario Duarte (he/him) was born in Mexico City. After completing his studies in classical guitar, musicology and composition in his country, he travelled to the UK to complete a master’s degree and a PhD under the supervision of Ricardo Climent at NOVARS Research Centre, The University of Manchester. Mario completed a postdoctoral research fellow in Music Technology at The National Autonomous University of Mexico and CMMAS under the supervision of Rodrigo Sigal.

Duarte is a composer interested in the crossover between Science, Literature and Pre-Columbian cultures. His music has been played in major festivals in Mexico, Europe and the UK at Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival and New Music North West. He has worked as a producer and scriptwriter of contemporary music broadcasts at Opus 94.5 FM Instituto Mexicano de la Radio (2009) and as a music teacher IB MYP (2011-12).

Mario's piece Metztli-tliltic (La luna negra) was selected for the Aguascalientes Symphony Orchestra EarShot New Music Readings, which takes place August 12-14, 2019 in Aguascalientes, Mexico. Mario spoke to us about the readings and his piece.

Composer Mario Duarte. Photo by Emma Wilde

American Composers Orchestra: What was your reaction to finding out your piece had been selected for the Aguascalientes EarShot New Music Readings?

Mario Duarte: My first reaction was of surprise because I wasn´t expecting the news. I was also excited to find out I would be working with Gabriela Ortiz, Derek Bermel and José Areán.

ACO: What are you doing to prepare for the readings? Are there any changes you have made to your piece since you found out it would be performed by the Aguascalientes Symphony Orchestra?

MD: I´ve been working on preparing the parts and making sure everything is ready to a professional standard for the workshop. I haven´t made any actual changes to the music because luckily the instrumentation fits perfectly for Aguascalientes Symphony Orchestra.

ACO: What are you looking forward to about the workshops and readings? What do you hope to learn from the experience?

MD: I´m looking forward to hearing my music played by a professional orchestra. I hope to establish a relationship and start networking with my peers and with musicians in Mexico because for the last 6 years I´ve been living in the UK studying for my Masters and PhD degrees and this will be an opportunity to reconnect with the musical community in Mexico.

ACO: Your bio notes that you are interested in Pre-Columbian culture, and your selected work Metztli is named after the lunar deity in Aztec mythology, and borrows patterns from the Mayan calendar and numeric system. Can you talk about any musical influences you have taken from these Pre-Columbian cultures?

MD: My music itself doesn´t sound Pre-Columbian because we don´t know what that kind of music sounded like so I wouldn´t say that I´m influenced by these cultures in musical terms. It´s more the philosophy behind the music that is influenced by Pre-Columbian cultures. For example, in Metzli I took the idea of cycles from the Mayan calendar and this underpins the structure of the work.

ACO: Can you talk about what it means to be a Mexican composer?

MD: I think it means the same as being a British composer, a Japanese or an Argentinian composer. We all want to create and there is no difference regarding nationality in terms of the creative process.

Mario's piece Metztli-tliltic (La luna negra) will be workshopped and performed at the Aguascalientes Symphony Orchestra EarShot New Music Readings, which takes place August 12-14, 2019 in Aguascalientes, Mexico.

Learn more about Mario Duarte at www.duartemario.com

EarShot Aguascalientes Symphony - Composer Spotlight: Kenichi Ikuno Sekiguchi

Kenichi Ikuno Sekiguchi (he/him) is a Mexican composer of Japanese heritage who was born and raised in Mexico City. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Composition at Mannes College of Music in New York City, studying with Rudolph Palmer and David Tcimpidis. He was later admitted into the Master in Music degree in Composition from the Royal College of Music, London studying with Kenneth Hesketh. 

Ikuno’s pieces have been performed in various cities in the United States, as well as in London, Mexico City, Hong Kong, Tainan, and Paris. His opera, 76 Days, was premiered in the Britten Hall in London produced by the Royal College of Music in partnership with Tête à Tête Opera under the direction of Bill Bankes-Jones. In 2016, he was awarded a grant from the Mexican Ministry of Culture for young artists (beca FONCA de Jóvenes Creadores) to compose a piece under the tutelage of Marcela Rodríguez and Lilia Vázquez-Kuntze. His piece Vox Villaurrutiensis was recorded by aTonalHits for their album Origins. 

Kenichi's piece Retratos de la locura was selected for the Aguascalientes Symphony Orchestra EarShot New Music Readings, which takes place August 12-14, 2019 in Aguascalientes, Mexico. Kenichi spoke to us about the readings and his piece.

Composer Kenichi Ikuno Sekiguchi. Photo by Pablo Antoli

American Composers Orchestra: What was your reaction to finding out your piece had been selected for the Aguascalientes EarShot New Music Readings?

Kenichi Ikuno Sekiguchi: I was quite thrilled! It is very difficult -outside an academic environment- to be able to have an opportunity to have a piece played by a full orchestra.

ACO: What are you doing to prepare for the readings? Are there any changes you have made to your piece since you found out it would be performed by the Aguascalientes Symphony Orchestra?

KIS: I am anticipating some of the questions that might arise from both the musicians and my colleagues of the score I composed. I did some adjustments when I was revising the piece anew for the reading.

ACO: What are you looking forward to about the workshops and readings? What do you hope to learn from the experience?

KIS: I'm looking forward to actually listen to the piece I wrote live! Besides that, I'm looking forward to the feedback: I think any criticism will help me grow as a composer. Everyone has a very different listening experience based on their own background and history, I would be very interested in what they hear in my piece.

ACO: The second half of Retratos de la locura is a fugue, and you write in your program note that "writing a fugue in the present times seems almost an act of outmoded foolishness." Why were you having these doubts? At what point in the compositional process did you begin to believe that using this technique was going to be worth it?

KIS: Now that I'm reading myself again it comes off a bit standoffish. I didn't mean that fugues aren't written anymore, but they do have a very thick air of academia. I remember at the conservatory that we were required to compose fugues from time to time for certain classes on given subjects: it was not always fun, and results were – most of the time – theoretically correct, but results were extremely stale. Fugues are obsessive by nature: for this reason, I chose to write a fugue for this particular piece.

ACO: Can you talk about what it means to be a Mexican composer?

KIS: To be honest I'm a bit conflicted about this question. Probably what I write in such a brief space would leave a lot out. What makes someone belong to a certain place? Who dictates that? Is it the state? Is it the people? The culture? I think a big part of belonging is identifying oneself with the place one considers home. We live in a time where displacement, more than immigration (and I think there is a big difference between both terms) has become commonplace. More times we hear voices screaming that he or she doesn't belong somewhere; that they go back to where we came from; for them to deny their roots and become "one of us."

Mexico is a multicultural country, not only because of immigration from different countries but also by their many indigenous peoples. It is a complex country with a complex web of different identities: there is an idea of a Mexican, but there many shades of gray of what a Mexican is. My name isn't Mexican. It is Japanese. My facial features are not Mexican. They're Japanese. My heritage is not Mexican. It is Japanese. But I am Mexican. I was born in Mexico. I feel Mexican. I have Mexican customs. My mother tongue is Spanish: my slang is Mexican, I cuss with Mexican curses, I sing Mexican songs when I'm drunk. For me, what it means to be a Mexican composer is manyfold: it is an acknowledgment of my Japanese heritage, it is embracing the Mexican culture that adopted and welcomed my ancestors, it is mixing a lot of different influences.

Kenichi's piece Retratos de la locura will be workshopped and performed at the Aguascalientes Symphony Orchestra EarShot New Music Readings, which takes place August 12-14, 2019 in Aguascalientes, Mexico.

Follow Kenichi Ikuno Sekiguchi on Twitter and Soundcloud

EarShot Aguascalientes Symphony - Composer Spotlight: Jiyoun Chung

Jiyoun Chung (she/her) is a native Korean pianist and composer. Since she moved to the USA in 2008, her pieces have been performed at festivals and concerts such as the 2019 String Quartet Smackdown V, the 2019 Music by Women Festival at Mississippi University for Women, the 2019 Women Composer Festival of Hartford, the 2019 College Music Society International Conference in Brussels, Ghent, and Bruges, Belgium, the 2015 Singapore Asian Composers Festival, the 2014 Graduate Association of Music and Musician at University of Texas-Austin, and the 2014 Red Note Festival. She was a finalist in the 2014 PUBLIQ Access competition and the 2014 Birmingham New Music Festival, a semifinalist in The American Prize in 2013 and 2014, and she also received honorable mention in the Rebecca Sherburn Composition competition.

Jiyoun Chung's piece Scissors was selected for the Aguascalientes Symphony Orchestra EarShot New Music Readings, which takes place August 12-14, 2019 in Aguascalientes, Mexico. Jiyoun Chung spoke to us about the readings and her piece.

Composer Jiyoun Chung. Photo by Sangyeon Choo

American Composers Orchestra: What was your reaction to finding out your piece had been selected for the Aguascalientes EarShot New Music Readings?

Jiyoun Chung: I was very excited to be part of the Aguascalientes EarShot New Music Readings! I felt truly honored and grateful.

ACO: What are you doing to prepare for the readings? Are there any changes you have made to your piece since you found out it would be performed by the Aguascalientes Symphony Orchestra?

JC: Last week, I sent parts and scores to the Aguascalientes Symphony Orchestra and American Composers orchestra. The orchestration of my piece, Scissors, was within Aguascalientes' complement, so I did not need to change instrumentation. However, I changed the format of the parts and fixed some minor notations as Bill Holab, the copyist, suggested.

ACO: What are you looking forward to about the workshops and readings? What do you hope to learn from the experience?

JC: I am looking forward to hear my piece played by the professional orchestra. Sitting at the rehearsal will be a valuable experience. It probably is the best way to understand how the entire orchestra works in order to perform a piece. I expect to learn a lot from communicating with the conductor and feedback from the players as well.

Also talking with the mentor composer and other peers as we look at the score while listening the piece performed by the orchestra will be an amazing experience that you cannot get elsewhere.

ACO: Your bio notes that you have extensive experience as an arranger for professional orchestras and choirs, with a book of your arrangements published by Yesol. Can you talk about how your expertise in arranging helps, or perhaps gets in the way of, your compositional process?

JC: The book was written for more an educational purpose for youth orchestras. So it was more about transposing to easier keys to play in, simplifying complicated passages, using easier finger positions and rewriting music to be more fun and enjoyable for the kids.

In general, experience as an arranger did help and change my writing enormously. I learned how to write and notate easier to the performers to get the same or similar sound I wanted. When the players struggle to play the piece that is too difficult to play with a limited rehearsal time (believe me, they never have enough rehearsal times), or to play the part which is not idiomatic, they can not really enjoy performing the piece. Then, the audience feels the tension and uncomfortableness, which also keeps them from enjoying the piece. The result is simple. No one is happy. I do not get the sound I intended, the performers are not happy because they feel it was not their best, and the audience is not happy with the performance and the music. So, I started to find easier and better ways to realize my imagination and convey it to the listeners without making the performers suffer too much. I found being kind to performers makes the music much more accessible to the audience, even when the musical materials used in the piece are not that easy to understand.

I am still learning, but I am happy to learn. I can not expect the players to learn my pieces as they learn the concertos. I shouldn’t. Composers sometimes need to push players’ limits, but also need to be realistic in writing for bigger ensembles. Finding effective ways to convey music is also my job, that is what I learned from experiences as an arranger, and that is what I believe.

ACO: Can you talk about what it means, to you, to be an American composer?

JC: Well, first of all, I am a permanent resident of the USA. I am a native Korean, but musically active mostly in the USA. This country is diverse, so is the music scene. Also, there have been more and more movements in the music field to value ethnic and cultural diversity. I hope to be a part of them and contribute to the diversity.  As I wrote in the Scissors program note, I have the Korean cultural background, and I favor Western musical languages as a medium for compositions. Korean cultural influences serve as the inspiration for my compositions in many ways, and it is my passion to create works that integrate both cultures and sometimes combine both musical languages to establish my own musical voice. I think that is my musical identity as a composer, and I hope what I do as an artist helps to make the culture of this community and society richer and more diverse.  

Jiyoun Chung's piece Scissors will be workshopped and performed at the Aguascalientes Symphony Orchestra EarShot New Music Readings, which takes place August 12-14, 2019 in Aguascalientes, Mexico.

Learn more about Jiyoun Chung at www.jiyounchung.com

EarShot Aguascalientes Symphony - Composer Spotlight: Emily Koh

Emily Koh (she/her) is a Singaporean composer and double bassist based in Atlanta, whose music is characterized by inventive explorations of the smallest details of sound. In addition to writing acoustic and electronic concert music, she enjoys collaborating with other creatives in projects where sound plays an important role in the creative process.

Described as "the future of composing" (The Straits Times, Singapore), she is the recipient of awards such as the Yoshiro Irino Memorial Prize, ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Award, Prix D’Ete, and PARMA competitions, commissions from the Barlow Endowment for Music Composition, Composers Conference at Wellesley College, Singapore Symphony Orchestra, Left Coast Chamber Ensemble, Dinosaur Annex Music Ensemble and grants from New Music USA, Women’s Philharmonic Advocacy and Paul Abisheganaden Grant for Artistic Excellence. She has been a fellow at the MacDowell Colony and Avaloch Farm Music Institute.

Emily's piece After Igor was selected for the Aguascalientes Symphony Orchestra EarShot New Music Readings, which takes place August 12-14, 2019 in Aguascalientes, Mexico. Emily spoke to us about the readings and her piece.

Composer Emily Koh. Photo by Simon Goodacre

American Composers Orchestra: What was your reaction to finding out your piece had been selected for the Aguascalientes EarShot New Music Readings?

Emily Koh: I was surprised, but was excited about working with an orchestra! I was also very worried as this came at a very busy time for me, and I had to pull weeks of late nights to get the scores and parts ready.

ACO: What are you doing to prepare for the readings? Are there any changes you have made to your piece since you found out it would be performed by the Aguascalientes Symphony Orchestra?

EK: I re-orchestrated the work to fit the instrumentation of the Aguascalientes Symphony Orchestra. In doing so, I also thinned out some of the orchestration. In my free time, I am listening to more orchestral works that I usually do.

ACO: What are you looking forward to about the workshops and readings? What do you hope to learn from the experience?

EK: I am looking forward to meeting other participants and listening to their music. I am also excited to meet and work with the composer mentors, and the orchestra! I hope to learn to be a more effective composer of orchestral music, and also how to communicate succinctly during rehearsals.

ACO: Your piece After Igor, which was commissioned for the 100th anniversary of Stravinsky's The Firebird, is intended to be a post-prequel to the ballet. Can you talk about how much you listened to or studied The Firebird while writing this piece? Were you worried about letting Stravinsky's voice influence your writing too much?

EK: I studied Stravinsky's The Firebird, The Rite of Spring, and Petrushka when I first wrote the work. At that time, I had just studied smaller excerpts from The Rite of Spring in school, and was not difficult to assimilate aspects of his fingerprints/voice into my work. At that time, I was also a little obsessed with the sound of Stravinsky during his 'Russian Period' since it was what we were studying in school, and this commission came at the perfect time, without compromising my individual tastes (at that time). This sound no longer resonates as strikingly in my current work, but the idea of evoking the sound of one's homeland and integrating it into the Western tradition is something close to my heart.

ACO: Can you talk about what it means, to you, to be an American composer?

EK: I am from Singapore and I live and work primarily in the US, making me a Singaporean-American composer. Because America is historically diverse and supportive of individualism, living in the US gives me a freedom to explore, experiment, learn and seek--a fitting environment for any creative!

Emily's piece After Igor will be workshopped and performed at the Aguascalientes Symphony Orchestra EarShot New Music Readings, which takes place August 12-14, 2019 in Aguascalientes, Mexico.

Learn more about Emily Koh at www.emilykoh.net

EarShot Aguascalientes Symphony - Composer Spotlight: Piyawat Louilapprasert

Piyawat Louilarpprasert (he/him), “the rebel Thai composer taking music to unheard heights” (CNN News World) writes works that explore possibilities of creating the amalgamation of sonic and visual arts; including integrating multimedia and music, deconstructing instruments’ mechanism and physicality with sound production method, and involving Thai traditional music elements in new compositions.

Piyawat has received several arts and composition prizes such as Matan Givol Prize 2019 (Israel), ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Award 2018, and many more. He is currently a doctoral candidate in composition at Cornell University, Ithaca, New York with Kevin Ernste and Marianthi Papalexandri Alexandri. His mentors were Valeriy Rizayev, Dai Fujikura, Jonathan Cole and Gilbert Nuono.

Piyawat's piece Light and Flame was selected for the Aguascalientes Symphony Orchestra EarShot New Music Readings, which takes place August 12-14, 2019 in Aguascalientes, Mexico. Piyawat spoke to us about the readings and his piece.

Composer Piyawat Louilarpprasert. Photo by Marije van den Berg

American Composers Orchestra: What was your reaction to finding out your piece had been selected for the Aguascalientes EarShot New Music Readings?

Piyawat Louilarpprasert: I was very excited because this is such a great opportunity for contemporary composer to be selected for the Aguascalientes EarShot New Music Readings. I am very looking forward to working with the orchestra and meeting new people there.

ACO: What are you doing to prepare for the readings? Are there any changes you have made to your piece since you found out it would be performed by the Aguascalientes Symphony Orchestra?

PL: In general, I do not really change the music, however, I try to check through all the parts and scores in order to make the most efficient material for musicians and conductor. Moreover, I am preparing some questions regarding practicality of orchestral writing which I hope I could have a little discussion with people there.

ACO: What are you looking forward to about the workshops and readings? What do you hope to learn from the experience?

PL: Definitely, I hope to share my music and compositional concept to musicians in the orchestra as well as receive feedback and any thought that I could develop my composition for the next opportunity. 

ACO: In your bio you write that your works aim to "explore possibilities of creating the amalgamation of sonic and visual art." With your piece, Light and Flame, there will be no visual element present. That said, is your goal to conjure up an image of "light and flame" for the listener?

PL: This is a very good question, generally, I usually compose music by using visual elements in somehow. Talking about the concept of this work, the keywords are "Light" and "Flame," I am trying to explore sonic possibilities by portraying the gesture and the color of light or flame through different instrumental sound production. Ultimately, this process creates both sonic aspect and visual imagination. 

ACO: Can you talk about what it means, to you, to be an American composer?

PL: Interestingly, I moved to the U.S. for awhile. I came from Southeast Asian tradition which I found the cultures have great number of differentiation. Personally, both are great for me, in addition, I could learn the culture and adapt into my composition. Especially, living in the U.S. as an American composer, there are many possibilities to make art and music happen where I could both learn new things and share my own ideas to people in this great community. This is very meaningful to me. 

Piyawat's piece Light and Flame will be workshopped and performed at the Aguascalientes Symphony Orchestra EarShot New Music Readings, which takes place August 12-14, 2019 in Aguascalientes, Mexico.

Learn more about Piyawat Louilarpprasert at www.piyawatmusic.com

Underwood New Music Readings - Composer Spotlight: Chen Yihan

Much of Chen Yihan’s music seeks for a convergence of different points in time and space, connecting the past to the future and bringing different corners of the world together in an abstract, poetic, and emotional way that transcends culture and epoch. His music is often a play of lines, space, and intensity in a calligraphic way, reflecting his cultural roots in the Chinese arts. As a composer, Chen Yihan’s music has been performed by the Symphony Orchestra of the National Opera House (China), The Juilliard Orchestra, Longcheng Symphony Orchestra, The New York Virtuoso Singers, Cantoría Hong Kong, the Entre Madeiras Trio, among others. He has earned honors such as two ASCAP Foundation Morton Gould Young Composer Awards, the Jacobs School of Music Dean’s Prize, a winner of the Juilliard orchestra competition, to name a few.

Chen Yihan’s piece SPIRITUS was selected for the 2019 Underwood New Music Readings where it will be workshopped and read by American Composers Orchestra and conductor Ludovic Morlot. Chen Yihan spoke to us about the readings and his piece.

Rehearsals, workshops, and final readings are open to the public on May 23 and 24 at NYU's Frederick Loewe Theatre (35 W 4th St). RSVP here

Hear Chen Yihan's piece at the 2019 Underwood New Music Readings. Rehearsals, workshops, and final readings are open to the public on May 23 and 24 at NYU's Frederick Loewe Theatre (35 W 4th St). RSVP here

Learn more about Chen Yihan at www.yihanmusic.com
Follow Chen Yihan on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

Underwood New Music Readings - Composer Spotlight: Rodrigo Castro

Rodrigo Castro’s work is a counterpoint of ideas laid out in mosaic, fractal, and dendrite forms. Imbued with an esoteric spirit, the organic cell-driven structures that he creates in every piece project atmospheres where spectral and playful echoes are chanted in a shifting sense of time. Rodrigo’s music aims to perfume the environment with aleatoric waves that highlight the liminal spaces between individual and universal identities. His esoteric music evokes feelings or memories in each listener with spiritual and metaphorical considerations and with the aim to create musical landscapes that need to exist. As a troubadour of his own time, he uses the orchestra to redefine the vernacular melodies and rhythms of his Mexican and Cuban heritage. Rodrigo’s work is influenced by artists such as Silvio Rodríguez, Bob Dylan, Luis Eduardo Aute and Leonard Cohen.

Rodrigo’s piece La gaviota was selected for the 2019 Underwood New Music Readings where it will be workshopped and read by American Composers Orchestra and conductor Ludovic Morlot. Rodrigo spoke to us about the readings and his piece.

Rehearsals, workshops, and final readings are open to the public on May 23 and 24 at NYU's Frederick Loewe Theatre (35 W 4th St). RSVP here

Composer Rodrigo Castro

American Composers Orchestra: What was your reaction to finding out your piece had been selected for the Underwood New Music Readings?

Rodrigo Castro: Considering the somewhat challenging circumstances behind my piece’s inception, and its varying stages of development, I was astounded and relieved upon finding out that I was one of the selected composers. In the following days, I began to feel more of a sense of contentment and pride in my work and efforts. By now, I feel excited from the anticipation and, most of all, incredibly thankful for this important opportunity.

ACO: What are you doing to prepare for the readings? Are there any changes you have made to your piece?

RC: In preparation for the readings, I had to reconsider some aspects of my piece with a critical sense for both refinement and pragmatism. It was encouraging to know that I still had the chance to chisel away at some specific details that could ensure a more productive experience. With that in mind, I reworked some minor aspects of the orchestration in certain passages, as well as the approach to some extended techniques and even some editing of the overall layout of the piece. It was a refreshing review of my ideas after having some time to gather a more objective perspective on the aesthetic intentions proposed in the work. With a better sense for how to balance out some areas, that may not have been entirely convincing, or even properly formed at first, the piece is now imbued with a new sense for the occasion.

ACO: What are you looking forward to about the workshops and readings? What do you hope to learn from the experience?

RC: I am very much looking forward to meeting all of the wonderful people behind this project. Naturally, the emphasis is on the experience of hearing my piece and learning all that there is still to learn about my work, but the feeling of belonging to such an important moment shared by all who are involved, is undoubtedly something to look forward to as well. As it is, composers of new music do not often have a such a significant chance to learn more about their creative ideas through a tangible experience, and everything has been set up for us to really dive deep into the atmosphere of our field. This is where the abstractness of what we do will become a reality that we can engage with. Our art form is mostly driven by context, and these readings are an important next step for our development in light of that pursuit.

I hope to learn about specific concerns, such as finding an equilibrium between one’s distinctive artistic vision and the practical considerations implied when working with an ensemble and within the protocols of our trade. I also hope that I will learn more, and in a comprehensive manner, about what it really means to be a composer in our world and of our times, through what promises to be a very meaningful experience.

Hear Rodrigo's piece at the 2019 Underwood New Music Readings. Rehearsals, workshops, and final readings are open to the public on May 23 and 24 at NYU's Frederick Loewe Theatre (35 W 4th St). RSVP here

Underwood New Music Readings - Composer Spotlight: Jack Hughes

Jack Hughes is a Chicago-based composer who is interested in exploring the ways in which the inner life of sound interacts with a listener’s mind, body and soul. While Jack avoids being prescriptive in the response his music elicits, one of his core values is for his music be meaningful on some level to all audience members, regardless of their musical knowledge. He seeks to foster musical experiences in which imagination, empathy, and trust flow in all directions among the composer, performers, and listeners. He is currently a PhD candidate at the University of Chicago, where he studies with Augusta Read Thomas. Jack Hughes received his Bachelor of Music degree in composition and theory at the Cleveland Institute of Music, in the studio of Keith Fitch. Jack served as composer fellow of San Francisco’s Volti choral ensemble in 2017 and of the Canton Symphony Orchestra in 2014.

Jack’s piece Needlepoint was selected for the 2019 Underwood New Music Readings where it will be workshopped and read by American Composers Orchestra and conductor Ludovic Morlot. Jack spoke to us about the readings and his piece.

Rehearsals, workshops, and final readings are open to the public on May 23 and 24 at NYU's Frederick Loewe Theatre (35 W 4th St). RSVP here

Composer Jack Hughes. Photo by Phillip Sossenheimer

American Composers Orchestra: What was your reaction to finding out your piece had been selected for the Underwood New Music Readings?

Jack Hughes: I was thrilled. Right after receiving the email I found myself reflecting on the two weeks in August when I was working on one of the most difficult sections of the piece. It was incredibly hot in Chicago and composing felt exceedingly slow and difficult. To keep myself motivated I would imagine how exciting it would be to hear the work performed live, and it was so gratifying to find out that this hypothetical performance was going to become an actual performance!

ACO: What are you doing to prepare for the readings? Are there any changes you have made to your piece?

JH: I'm trying to study my score in a more detached and practical way--almost as though I didn't write the piece. This more detached relationship to the piece is a nice contrast to the intensely personal connection we often feel to our pieces while composing. I'm trying to think very practically: highlighting spots that might potentially be difficult for the orchestra and coming up with some potential alternative dynamics or registral changes in case a passage needs revision. Most of the changes I've made to my piece have just been small tweaks and formatting changes. With orchestral music the editing never ends!

ACO: What are you looking forward to about the workshops and readings? What do you hope to learn from the experience?

JH: I'm so excited to meet the other participating composers and to hear their works. And I look forward to speaking with audience members about their experience of the concert. Hearing ACO read and assemble my piece will be a special experience that will help me understand orchestral composition in a deeper way.

Hear Jack's piece at the 2019 Underwood New Music Readings. Rehearsals, workshops, and final readings are open to the public on May 23 and 24 at NYU's Frederick Loewe Theatre (35 W 4th St). RSVP here

Follow Jack on Soundcloud

Underwood New Music Readings - Composer Spotlight: Jihyun Kim

Jihyun Kim’s music has been performed in the prestigious venues around the world, including Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, the Cloisters at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Bruno Walter Auditorium at Lincoln Center, Seiji Ozawa Hall, Harris Hall in Aspen, DiMenna Center, Palazzo Medici Riccardi in Florence Italy, and Seoul Arts Center in Korea. Jihyun’s works were performed by eminent ensembles such as Tanglewood New Fromm Players, Aspen Contemporary Ensemble, JACK Quartet, PUBLIQuartet, Asciano Quartet, Karien Ensemble, Switch Ensemble, Aspen Conducting Academy Orchestra, Cornell Festival Orchestra, Bloomington Trio, and Chanticleer LAB Choir, and were featured in Tanglewood Music Center, Aspen Music Festival, Mayfest, the University of South Florida New Music Festival, Midwest Composers Symposium, and Korean Music Expo.

Jihyun’s piece A Tramp in the Assembly Line was selected for the 2019 Underwood New Music Readings where it will be workshopped and read by American Composers Orchestra and conductor Ludovic Morlot. Jihyun spoke to us about the readings and his piece.

Rehearsals, workshops, and final readings are open to the public on May 23 and 24 at NYU's Frederick Loewe Theatre (35 W 4th St). RSVP here

Composer Jihyun Kim

American Composers Orchestra: What was your reaction to finding out your piece had been selected for the Underwood New Music Readings?

Jihyun Kim: I was extremely happy to find out that my piece was selected among many others; this is the opportunity that I have been always wanting to participate in, as I have seen my friends participating in previous editions and really enjoying the experience. Especially with this work, I am very excited to hear the work come to life by a wonderful orchestra specialized in new music.

ACO: What are you doing to prepare for the readings? Are there any changes you have made to your piece?

JK: I have been making a few changes for the readings: One of the mentors, Mr. Derek Bermel gave productive comments on the piece and also the publisher, Mr. Bill Holab, gave me suggestions on perfecting the layout of the score/parts.

ACO: What are you looking forward to about the workshops and readings? What do you hope to learn from the experience?

JK: I am very much looking forward to working with ACO under the baton of maestro Ludovic Morlot, and hearing the valuable insight of the renowned mentor composers, Derek Bermel, Tania León, and Anthony Cheung. It will also be an inspiring experience to hear the works of my colleagues. It is exciting to see the workshops that ACO is offering: meeting with the publishers and presenters and learning about the world of publishing and programing will provide me with critical information and knowledge that every young composer needs.

Hear Jihyun's piece at the 2019 Underwood New Music Readings. Rehearsals, workshops, and final readings are open to the public on May 23 and 24 at NYU's Frederick Loewe Theatre (35 W 4th St). RSVP here

Learn more about Jihyun at www.noeljihyunkim.com